Apple unifies Macs with OS update

Mac users this week can start downloading an update of Apple Computer's Mac OS that will unify all Mac systems and revise several core technologies, creating what the company promises will be a more stable and slightly faster OS.

Mac users have been forced to maintain different versions of the OS for different models, depending on the bus architecture of the system. System 7.5 Update 2.0, which is now available for free downloading, runs on all Macintoshes from the Mac Plus to the new Power Macs built around the PCI bus. The update is also known as System 7.5.3.

This release also lets users of all NuBus-based machines run Open Transport 1.1, a networking management feature that lets users change protocols without rebooting. OpenTransport was previously only available for PCI-based Macs.

The company has updated several of its core technologies for this release, including QuickTime, QuickDraw GX, QuickDraw 3D, Apple Guide, PlainTalk, Desktop Printing, and PowerTalk.

The system will ship with all new Macs released this spring but is available now for downloading from AppleLink, America Online, CompuServe, the Apple Computer Higher Education gopher server, and several online Apple sites.